If there is any topic that has some of the most extreme views and opinions, it’s parenthood. Parenting philosophies. Parenting methods. Parenting books. It’s seems pretty inexhaustible, and no doubt, incredibly overwhelming.
So, of course, when anything hits the media and has to do with parenting, especially if it’s contentious or tragic, we might find it peppered all over our Facebook walls. First, there was the phenomenon of tiger moms. And now, apparently, there are dragon moms. So, are Dragon Moms the new Tiger Mom?
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When I first read about Gabriel See, he reminded me of another kid I had blogged about from the Greater Seattle area who was also a “genius,” Raymond Zheng. But as I read further, I realized that Gabriel is probably a lot smarter:
Ernest Henley, physics professor, dean emeritus at the University of Washington and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, has never met a student quite like him. “Frankly, I have never seen a boy of his age who displays as much intelligence and aptitude for learning,” Henley said. “He is one of a kind.” …He started taking upper-level math classes at the UW in 2009, and in 2010 began taking graduate math classes; this quarter, he’s taking applied linear algebra.
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There is just enough space inside here for one person to live indefinitely, or at least that’s what the operations manual says.
So begins Charles Yu’s debut novel, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe ($10.17). Yu is the recipient of the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35″ Award. As Lev Grossman wrote in review:
The hero of this story, also named Charles Yu, ekes out a living there as a time travel repairman–”a certified network technician for T-class personal-use chronogramattical vehicles, and an approved independent affiliate contractor for Time Warner Time, which owns and operates this universe as a spatio-temporal structural and entertainment complex zoned for retail, commercial, and residential use.” (Time Warner Time — that’s the kind of three-pointer Yu never misses.) Charles is a high-tech sad sack, whose only companions are a dog, who’s mostly hypothetical, and a computer with a sexy feminine AI interface that Yu has a crush on.
This sounds like the perfect new read for Douglas Adams and H.G. Wells fans alike. Just watch out for wormholes–you might just get sucked into this novel.
On the 8Asians internal mailing list, Moye shared an article from the New York Times called “Notes From A Dragon Mom,” asking if “Dragon Moms” were the new “Tiger Moms.”
It’s no big secret that I’m totally over anything labeled “Tiger,” especially Tiger Moms, which started the whole recent phenomenon. We’ve already heard about Tiger Moms, Tiger Daughter, Paper Tigers, Tiger Woods (ok, so that’s actually his name)… but please spare us from having to go through it all again with Dragon ______s (fill-in-the-blanks).
So I responded to the email with this:
Must the word “Mom” be with prefixed with every animal in the frakkin Chinese zodiac?
Fine then.
Here is my Chinese Mom Zodiac*:
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A few weeks ago, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Presidential Candidate Tsai Ing-Wen (蔡英文) was in Silicon Valley for a fundraiser. The Taiwanese presidential election occurs in January 2012. This was part of her overall 1+ week visit to the United States, to: “… at least in part at reassuring the administration of US President Barack Obama that if elected the DPP would strive to maintain cross-strait peace and stability.”
So my mom has been bugging me about getting her an iPhone. First I got one (because I’m cool like that), and then my dad decided to be “hip” and get one himself (because he’s a poser like that) and now my mother is hinting that she’d like one, too. She already owns a PowerBook, an iPod, an iPad and emails me incessantly from her Gmail account so buying an iPhone 4S would only complete her hipster look.
Except now that I’ve seen this video of a Japanese man trying to use the Siri personal assistant, I’m wondering if this is a bad idea.
In an effort to calm down from the cute overload we’ve had in the past few days, we offer up this simple Citrine Droplet Sterling Silver Necklace ($40) by June Shin. The pendant comes on a 16″ silver chain, and looks like a great addition to any Fall outfit.
Special Offer: June Shin is offering a special deal for GASP! readers! Simply enter “GASP” at checkout for 20% off your total. Offer expires November 12, 2011.
Now that we’ve established that, yes, there are people who aren’t Asian who like Asian music, leave it up to Saturday Night Live to present this in a comedy skit called J-Pop America Fun Time Now, a mock college TV show where two white anime fans honor Japanese culture by looking like idiots. Read how the writers of a TV show are able to make jokes about Japanese people without getting protested by Huffington Post commenters, after the jump.
I’ve made it no secret that I know San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu and District 3 Supervisor, as well as volunteered for him (even though I don’t live in San Francisco). Just the other day, the San Francisco Chronicle endorsed him for mayor in this November’s election.
I don’t usually write reviews of restaurants but when actor and food blogger (and friend) Lynn Chen invited me to join her at Fluff Ice, a new dessert place in my area (San Gabriel Valley, 626 in the house!), I jumped. She told me we were going to be eating at a new Taiwanese shaved ice restaurant that just opened. I have to be honest, I didn’t know what Taiwanese shaved ice was. I mean, I’d had Hawaiian shaved ice and regular shaved ice, even a Slurpee, but never Taiwanese shaved ice. So needless to say I was excited but had no idea what to expect.
When I first saw this commercial for the Citi Simplicity credit card, it reminded me of one of those movie theater announcements right before the movie trailers and the movie is going to be shown. I’m not sure the commercial is all that effective in conveying the convenience of the card, but the main actress portrays a somewhat sympathetic makeup artist trying to make due on a remote movie shoot. Given the perceived remoteness of the movie shooting location, I’d be surprised if any credit card is taken there. I sometimes wonder how companies come up with some of their commercial ideas… I think Conan O’Brien’s American Express ad is something a bit more compelling.
Another month is here, so it’s time for Goodies of the Month! (GOTM!). Here are some essentials to help you prepare to celebrate Halloween:
1. Wendy the Witch Mouse Figurine: When it comes to Halloween decorations, sometimes it’s nice to have a low-key option that doesn’t scream orange and black. This cute little mouse figurine ($15) measures about 4 inches tall, and would be perfect for a little bit of flair on your desk at work.
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APA Events
Feb 9: (Los Angeles, CA) East West Players presents THREE YEAR SWIM CLUB
Feb 9: (Los Angeles, CA) OR (Orphan Relief): China Care Bruin’s 4th Annual Awareness Night
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